


Spiderstan25

by Peer_Parker



Series: Other Fics [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Crying, Hopeful Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Internet Friends, Irondad, Negative Thoughts, Online Friendship, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Unhealthy Relationships, spiderson, vent fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2020-05-02
Packaged: 2021-02-26 19:24:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23967268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peer_Parker/pseuds/Peer_Parker
Summary: "There was barely a day gone by where he didn’t talk with Spiderstan25 in the sweet spot between school and patrolling. It was a welcome addition to his routine, despite how crowded it was."Where Peter makes an online friend through his Spider-Man online presence, but things don't go how he expected. It's a good thing that Tony and May are there for him when it counts.
Relationships: May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: Other Fics [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1727824
Comments: 11
Kudos: 37





	Spiderstan25

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: this fic contains unhealthy friendships, and negative thoughts. The latter is not too deep but I feel I should give a warning! Lil more dark than my usual fics.
> 
> This fic is pretty personal, I wrote it as a vent fic since I had an incredibly similar situation happen earlier this year. I changed the details of messages and names, as well as making events fit better with Peter's life. So hopefully I didn't write this too quickly, I'm nervous about posting it.
> 
> With that all said and done, I hope you enjoy!

Spider-Man had brought Peter a lot of things. Powers, strength, Tony Stark, a way to save people, to look out for the little guy… It had brought some negatives, but overall, these were outweighed by the positives. Among these positives was a new friend.

Not at school, of course. There was no way he could give away his identity to his peers in order to get friends- that would be a big mistake. He was seen through their eyes as Peter Parker, the nerd on a scholarship who Flash tormented. That was fine, though, really. He had Ned and MJ- that was more than enough to get through each school day.

Afterwards, when they were gone, when Tony was busy, when Aunt May was still at work, and when it wasn’t time to go out as Spider-Man- he had his phone, which provided his friend. _Spiderstan25._

The thrills of social media meant that he could have an online presence solely as Spider-Man, shoving Peter Parker aside. Okay, he was still Peter at the end of the day, but what he meant was that he didn’t have to assign his face to the man in the mask. He was just the mysterious man in Queens who stopped bad guys.

His posts at first, had mainly consisted of memes and a few scenic shots from high points in the city, along with some random posts hinting at his evening life that consisted of webbing up criminals. Mr Stark growled about his habits online, and he found it a fun way to bring the masked hero closer to the people he saved.

He got messages fairly frequently. He ignored the creepy ones, and replied to questions and comments. So, it was strange when he found someone treating him not like a famous figure, but like a person. It wasn’t that he was against people thinking he was more than an everyday person when he put on the mask- after all, that might give them more faith in him saving them. But it was refreshing to see.

_Spiderstan25_: Your account name XD

Peter chuckled. Finally, someone had noticed his pun he’d subtly inserted as his username.

_Spidey_OnTheWeb_: Thanks! Someone finally appreciates my talents 😂

He smiled, thinking it’d probably end like the rest of his conversations with other users on his Spidey account- a message or two that he replied to, and then radio silence. Which he didn’t mind, don’t get him wrong- he understood his account for his superhero life was more for the memes and showing the people their masked vigilante. It was just nice to get to talk to them a little more.

_Spiderstan25:_ That I do. You could say that you made up your username… on the fly xd

_Spidey_OnTheWeb: _Oh my gosh 🤣 yeah. And it was either this username or ‘WebDesigner’

_Spiderstan25: _Hahahaha, you’re funny. I like you

Peter smiled despite himself. It was a little sudden, given that they’d just started talking, but perhaps this was sincerity, and it was nice. Figuring there weren’t many risks, given that he was physically unable to give away personal information due to his superhero identity, he decided it wouldn’t be too bad to have an online acquaintance.

_Spidey_OnTheWeb: _You too 😊

\----------------------

There was barely a day gone by where he didn’t talk with _Spiderstan25 _in the sweet spot between school and patrolling. The only days tended to be those where he was busy with revising for tests, or spending time with Tony on lab days. It was a welcome addition to his routine, despite how crowded it was.

Their conversations ranged from what he did on patrols, to what it was like working with the Avengers, and to her life, as well. He found out her name and what she did, about her family and her pets, and he didn’t even ask for it. That wasn’t to say that he wasn’t grateful to learn more about the faceless person on the other side of the screen, who brightened up his day for an hour or two at a time. He was glad she felt comfortable to share this information with him (because he’d definitely had a few accounts try to report him for ‘impersonating’ Spider-Man. The nerve of it.)

As they became closer, and when the day hit of them having been talking for a whole year, he was getting frustrated over his inability to share information about himself. He respected that his friend never asked, but strongly wished he could let someone else into the small, personal circle that knew about his identity. Of course, he was fully aware about the risks of that, and the risks of talking to people online, so he wasn’t prepared to give that away any time soon. He just felt like he was leaving their relationship very one-sided.

He didn’t have to worry, though. She never seemed to ask about Peter Parker, and he was content to let Spider-Man talk for him.

\---------------

“What’re you smiling at, kid?”

It was a lab day, and mentor and mentee were whiling away the time on their phones as they waited for a Spider-Man suit to be created in the new machine they were testing out. Whilst the end product was worth it, the waiting time was agonizingly boring, especially for two geniuses, one of which was a bouncy teenager. Thus, when he saw Peter smiling at his phone, he figured it was another one of those ‘memes’, some of which he found a little funny, and so, wouldn’t mind seeing another one.

“Oh- it’s nothing. Wait a moment…” he paused, finishing typing out his reply before looking up, and turning around the screen to show what was yet another meme.

Tony snorted before shaking his head. “You and those memes, kiddo. I’m not sure if I grasp the context of that one but I see the point of it. Who sent you that one- Ted?”

“No, no.” Peter shook his head, before correcting him with the information that it was his online friend. Tony nodded. Of course, he remembered that conversation with May. It was less of a worry about the kid’s safety (they knew he was sensible online) and more about a worry with Spider-Man and his identity. But it’d proved so far that this friend was close to Peter, and that they hadn’t even tried to pry out any information about his identity. Even if he was a little unsure about the whole thing, given that this was on Peter’s Spider-Man online account, he’d leave it be.

“Oh- how’s that going? Did you take my suggestion and tell her that your real name under the mask is actually Underoos?”

Peter chuckled, once again shaking his head animatedly. “No! God- I mean, gosh, Mr Stark. That’d be weird. And imagine if she told people and then word got out into the media…”

Tony rolled his eyes, smirking at the kid’s reaction. “Well, if she ever asks, that’s legally the only name you’re allowed to provide. I may or may not have used it on a few Avengers documents.” He calmly joked, to which Peter gasped. Tony wouldn’t have it any other way. He was happy that his kid had found someone else who made him happy during the times where they weren’t on a mission together or down in the lab.

\--------------------

It was a year and a half in. Their friendship had had its ups and downs, but they got along well enough. Peter knew his day would feel empty without the regularity of talking to _Spiderstan25 _every afternoon. It became another incentive to get through the school day when MJ and Ned weren’t there and Flash was teasing him, or tripping him over, or when his test didn’t get as good a score as he usually got, or when he knew Aunt May would be working a later shift, or Tony would be stuck in a meeting and lab time was cancelled. Having a friend in the comfort of his phone whose messages made him feel warm inside and smile, was comforting. Someone who he could share anything with (well, apart from his civilian identity. But did Peter Parker matter anyway?)

She was there for him that one night on patrol where he sustained an injury that was enough to bring tears to his eyes, but not enough for Karen to force him to call Tony for help. It would heal, but it hurt. Texting his friend in his phone about it helped, the warmth of her comforts and kind words spreading throughout his body like a home remedy, biting the edge off the pain.

She was there for him when Tony got injured in a mission that went south quickly. She was interested in the Avengers, still, and interested in Spider-Man, asking questions on them intermittently between her words of comfort- but she was there.

She wasn’t there for him when he had a particularly bad day at school. He couldn’t say that it was school, he called it work instead, but she didn’t seem so comforting anymore. Whatever. It just affirmed to him that he was better off as Spider-Man, after all.

She wasn’t there either when he got into an argument with Tony over something trivial that left him pacing in his room. Whatever. He just wouldn’t tell her these things anymore.

She was there for him when Spider-Man got injured. And when Spider-Man got defeated in battle.

It was enough.

\------------

Except, he couldn’t seem to stop the feelings of inadequacy that plagued him whenever he attempted to mention goings on in his civilian life. When she changed the topic to talk about her, or Spider-Man, it couldn’t help but hurt. But whatever- he was only meant to talk about Spider-Man anyway. Peter Parker started to fall into the background… and he felt guilty for the resentment that grew towards _Spiderstan25_. He was ungrateful. She was there for him- there for Spider-Man. It was a friendship. Those weren’t perfect, right? Maybe she just didn’t want him to feel uncomfortable.

So, anytime that a negative thought over his mysterious friend reared its head, he pushed it away and cut it off at the source. He couldn’t be without her. She always said how important their friendship was. It didn’t matter if he knew more about her than she did about him. It was comfort. It was regularity.

_Spiderstan25: _It’s so refreshing to have a friend like you. You always seem to agree with me, and we never have any arguments, unlike with my other friends. It’s nice

Peter couldn’t help but agree. (he never did anything else- if he disagreed with her, she’d get passive aggressive. But friends always agreed on things, right?)

_Spidey_OnTheWeb: _Yeah. It’s nice. I’m glad you’re my friend too

He frowned- was that too clingy? He wasn’t sure. Something about the way he talked through text these days had changed. Ned had told him he said a lot less. MJ told him he was a pushover.

But he was special- he wasn’t like her other friends. He hadn’t given her a reason to never speak to him again.

\--------------------

Until he did.

It was early, a school morning. 6:00 in the morning, to be precise. He picked up his phone to ease himself into waking up for the day. A notification flashed up on the screen, and he smiled. _From Spideystan25: “Hey, Spidey… I’m so sorry, there’s something I’ve got to…” _

The message was cut off from the word limit on the notifications, and he raced to unlock his phone. It was likely that his friend was going through a tough time or something bad had come up, either of which he was experienced and ready to help her with. He wasn’t expecting what came.

She… wasn’t going to talk to him again? What- why? What did he do? Wait… the message said it wasn’t to do with him. Not entirely. But she might be back in the future. His heart raced. This wasn’t right. Something didn’t feel right. He hadn’t freaked her out, had he? She knew why he couldn’t reveal his identity. Not that she ever asked. It was obviously something personal but… couldn’t she have said this to him the night before? Couldn’t she have at least said goodbye?

Peter found it was easiest to shove his phone in his pocket, get ready, and leave for school. No one said a thing if his words were short and sharp. It was both a blessing and a curse when Ned and MJ didn’t see as he struggled to hold back tears in the school library as he worked on an assignment. Just forget. Forget. The late afternoon would come, and she’d be there, waiting for him.

\------------

She wasn’t there. She left him in the dark for months. Tony and May found out about it a few days after the event, when Peter got into an unnecessary argument with his mentor in the lab. They were nothing but sympathetic. Tony offered to find a way to contact her elsewhere, but he declined. If she wanted to come back, she would.

In their time apart, he found the resentment from before coming back in full force. He let it. Once she wasn’t there anymore, he started to realise how little she’d cared. She only cared about Spider-Man. That was it. And herself, he thought bitterly. Tony and May… well, they helped him, Tony sneaking a look at their past messages and they were less than pleased with what they saw.

“Peter, honey, I think- you’re better off without her, okay? Ned and MJ- they’re great friends. It looks like you had fun talking with this girl, but I think she was only interested in Spider-Man.”

Somehow, Peter couldn’t help but agree.

“I miss her, though, May…”

“I know, cookie, I know.”

\---------------

In their time apart, Peter found more and more of his old self returning. He felt freer. He had more time to do work and text his friends, more time to go out patrolling. And he attached himself with more enthusiasm to the people who really cared about him. He began to realise more and more how much he appreciated Tony, May, Ned, MJ, Pepper, and all the other heroes when they came to visit.

Tony had considered deleting the Spider-Man account online, but Peter argued against it.

“I promise I won’t talk to anyone else on there- but the people of Queens still need to see Spider-Man, Mr Stark. And I can’t let her take that away from me.”

Tony agreed. He regretted it a week later.

\------------------

It had been four months since she’d left, since Peter had decided not to grace her parting message with a reply, and then, she was back. It felt strange to see the notification flash up on his screen.

_Spiderstan25: _Hey- I’m so sorry. I’m trying to come back on but I’m not sure about it yet. I’ve missed you

Peter clenched his fists. No, he’d just began to get over that friendship, and she was bad, she’d hurt him-

_Spidey_OnTheWeb: _I missed you too

Damnit. He was an idiot, idiot, idiot.

_Spiderstan25: _I’m so happy I got to talk to you again- I promise I’m trying my best but I’m not sure…

Her measures were of the same type. For the next few days, she left him in the dark with the reason as to why she left, and that familiar feeling was creeping its way back into his chest. Talking with her- it felt like a nostalgic sense of normality was creeping its way back into his bones. He settled into it, grasping onto the brief words of conversation she gave him like they were his lifeline.

And then, it was tugged out from under him, and he was drowning.

_You cannot message this user anymore_. The reason? Her account was gone. This… didn’t make any sense. She- what, came back, just to tease him before leaving for good this time? It… it didn’t make sense. Of course, she’d never really cared.

He’d learnt his lesson from last time.

He sobbed, crumpling onto the couch beside May, who sat and hugged him for a while until his breaths evened out. She gently teased the truth out of him, nodding in understanding. She saw her nephew’s mistake, but she didn’t blame him. Instead, she cooked him his favourite meal and sat with him as they watched a _Star Wars _movie for the millionth time, stroking her hands through his soft curls of hair until he fell asleep.

Tony did the same, the next day. They switched lab time for couch time and whilst his kid watched a movie, he changed the settings on Spider-Man’s account- so that only users he was following could message him. And then, he set the phone to the side, far away from their circle of comfort and home, before bringing an arm around Peter in a gentle hug.

He still thought of her, sometimes, when he listened to a certain song that she’d shared with him, or saw a meme shared in his phone gallery.

But the next time he was injured on patrol, it was Tony who gathered him into his arms, Dr Banner who patched him up, and May who sat beside his bed and squeezed his hand in hers.

For the first time in two years, things felt right.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not in any way saying online friendships are bad, I know there are some great ones out there- this is just my experience. It was quite cathartic to write.
> 
> I hope it was decent, thanks for reading! Feel free to leave a comment below, I love reading them.


End file.
